Nathanael's New Model
by yellow 14
Summary: Nathanael has a new person to sketch. Set just after Evillustrator and originally written for the now defunct Nathanael November.


Disclaimer: You know the drill by now. At least, I should HOPE you do.

AN: This was originally created for Nathanael November, but as the person who set up the contest has vanished (I can't find it ANYWHERE) I'm assuming that it's not happening. Still, I feel the urge to give it a go.

AN2: Set a few days after the episode Evillustrator.

Nathanael leaned back in the bench and allowed his pencil to sketch out the girl sitting in front of him. His pencil danced over the paper, capturing her image as she lay on the grass in front of him, lazily enjoying the sun. Within moments, he was finished and he gave his model a smile.

"Thanks Sabrina," he said and she gave him a small smile.

"N-n-no p-p-problem," she stuttered out and she turned her face slightly. "It's th-th-the least I could do after Chloe managed to get you a-a-akumatised."

Nathanael frowned at her words. While it was true that said blond was a major part of the reason for his akumatisation and it was true that Sabrina was pretty much her shadow, it didn't feel right. Not right at all.

"You don't have to make up for Chloe's mistakes," he said with a shake of his head. "She is responsible for her own actions, not you."

Sabrina looked at him with almost fearful eyes as she stood up. "It's-it's not like that!" she protested nervously and her eyes darted left and right as though she expected Chloe to appear at any moment. "It's just…I wanted to do something to make you feel…I didn't want you to…" she paused and took a deep breath. "People always see Chloe and me as two sides of the same coin. She's the leader, I'm her follower. She's the hero, I'm just the sidekick. She's the person, I'm just her shadow. I…"

Her words trailed off as she tried to find the right words to express herself. Nathanael looked away, uncertain as to what he should say. Sabrina opened and closed her mouth a few times and an awkward silence fell over the two.

"I know what it's like to just disappear into the background. To not be noticed until it's too late. My akumatised self was the one everyone noticed. I was just the stupid boy in the background. The one nobody notices or cares about," Nathanael said and Sabrina gave a bitter chuckle.

"My akumatised self spent most of her time being literally invisible. Even as a supervillain, I was as invisible as when I was normal," Sabrina replied with a slight hint of bitterness. Nathanael looked at her in surprise and Sabrina shook her head. "I was turned into a villain called Vanisher after a fight with Chloe. Every other person in our class was noticed, impossible to miss. Everyone remembers Lady Wifi and Stoneheart but nobody remembers mine. Which is nice I suppose. Nobody is going to bring it up again and nobody ever wonders who would win in a stupid fight between the akumatised forms but…it would be nice to be known for something that's just me."

"At least you don't have proof of your evil actions as an akuma splashed all over the news," Nathanael pointed out gently. "Knowing that you terrified hundreds of people and became a monster. I blackmailed the girl I loved into going on a date with me and when she tried to help Chat Noir in stopping me, I trapped her on a sinking barge. Now I'm not even sure I can even look at her anymore."

"Wait…YOU were the reason Marinette couldn't hang out that night?" Sabrina exclaimed in surprise, before giggling briefly. "I guess she really DID have a good reason to not hang out after all."

"Yeah…it's a killer technique for getting a first date, but as a long term relationship thing, it's not exactly great," Nathanael replied with a self conscious smile. Sabrina chuckled with amusement.

"I don't think Marinette would hold that against you, you know?" she said as her eyes grew wistful. "She was willing to be my friend after all. Or at least try and I've been friends with Chloe for so long…and we all know that akumatised versions of us can be…different to who we really are."

"Your akumatised self shouldn't be the only thing about you that stands out either," Nathanael countered. "I've seen your marks. You're smart, at least book smart. Smarter than me at any rate. Physics might as well be in a different language."

"T-t-thank you," Sabrina said, blushing slightly at the compliment. She glanced at the picture he had drawn of her and stifled a gasp. "You're a really good artist."

"Thanks…" he said and he gave her a grim smile. "I guess that's why Hawkmoth made me Evillustrator."

There was an awkward silence. With Nathanael's akumatisation still a recent memory, it was something of a sensitive subject to say the least. And he was pretty sure Sabrina had been there when he had first attacked Chloe, riding a giant hairdryer of all things! (And a rain of berets as well according to some reports on the Ladyblog)

"I'm sorry if I scared you," he said when he finally spoke. "You know…when I was an akuma."

"That's okay. I think you scared poor Chloe more than you did me," she sighed. "Poor girl couldn't do her physics homework after that."

Nathanael resisted the urge to say something about 'poor' Chloe, before deciding against it. The girl in front of him might be sorry for Chloe's behaviour, but that hardly meant she was likely to appreciate him insulting her best friend in front of her.

"Have you done this with all of the akumatised victims caused by Chloe?" he asked as he tried to imagine Sabrina talking to Alya or the incredibly intimidating Ivan. Sabrina blushed and shook her head.

"Do you-do you think I should?" she asked timidly. "I-I-I mean Ivan has that scary frown and Alya's Marinette's friend and p-p-probably wouldn't-"

"No-no, I was just…I was wondering why you wanted to help me?" he asked, cutting through Sabrina's stuttering mess. Sabrina looked away with a look of shame on her face.

"Well…well I thought that maybe I should try…I don't know…I…I've been thinking a lot since that day. Thinking about what I should do…to make up for Chloe's…actions," Sabrina paused for a moment and her expression changed to one of worry. "I'm scared that one day an akuma will go after her and kill her or put her in a coma and th-th-then I wouldn't have anyone to be friends with and I'd just be alone."

Nathanael took her hands in his and looked Sabrina in the eye.

"You wouldn't be alone," he said and Sabrina smiled slightly as she looked up at him. "I promise."

And amidst the hustle and bustle of Paris, in a quiet public park, an unusual friendship was born.


End file.
